Five Ways That Menstrual Cycle Awareness Nourishes Well-Being
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After practicing mindfulness for many years, learning about Menstrual Cycle Awareness added another layer of awareness to my mindfulness practice, one that's fine-tuned to my cyclical nature as a woman. Menstrual cycle awareness feels like an embodied spiritual practice where I don’t need to do anything except listen deeply to myself and let my cycle guide me.
Being in tune with my menstrual cycle helps me harmoniously interact with myself and the world. I have learned how to honour my feelings, needs, and energy levels, and practice self-care throughout my cycle.
When we track our cycle, we can began to see a pattern that is like the seasons of the year with menstruation as inner-winter, pre‐ovulation as inner-spring, ovulation as inner-summer, and the pre-menstruum as inner-autumn.
These are five ways that Menstrual Cycle Awareness nourishes my well-being:
1. Energy Levels
I sync my cycle with my schedule which helps me manage my energy in an efficient and sustainable way. I try to take at least a day or two off when I am bleeding, schedule more social activities and work meetings in my inner-spring and inner-summer, and find alone time in my inner-autumn. I listen to my body and respond to what it needs in terms of exercise, rest, and nutrition.
2. Self-care
By understanding my needs throughout the cycle, I know how to practice self-care in each season. I find time to rest, make sure not to overschedule myself, and schedule alone/quiet time. Practices such as Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation), walking in nature, going to bed early, staying hydrated, and focused time with loved ones are other ways that nurture me throughout my cycle.
3. Emotional Well-Being
Knowing where I am in my cycle grounds me and helps me to stay in tune with what I need each day. When I moved overseas earlier this year, I skipped tracking my cycle and my emotions ran wild. I felt exhausted and my mind was scattered and agitated. As soon as I started tracking again, I felt refreshed, grounded, and back in tune with myself. By tracking my emotions throughout the cycle, I can see a regular pattern - where anger, sadness/grief, or joy and excitement are usually felt. This helps me practice loving kindness and compassion towards myself and see the impermanence of my emotions, to know that there are always brighter days coming.
4. Creativity and Work
I really enjoy the creative process and follow my cycle's lead: in inner-winter I let myself rest and dream, in inner-spring I am playful and experiment with new ideas, in inner-summer I get down to work and create as much as I can, then in inner-autumn my inner-critic wraps it all up with a fine eye for editing. Working with my cycle, allows me to be productive and work efficiently.
5. Relationships
Menstrual cycle awareness opened up a new channel of communication and understanding for myself and my partner, Hang. We are able to share which season we are in and what we need each day. I also try to schedule catch ups with family and friends in my more social seasons of inner-spring and inner-summer.
Menstrual Cycle Awareness is simple to practice. I write a few notes at the end of each day, recording how I feel physically, emotionally and energetically. I also take note of my needs for food, hydration, sleep, company and conversations, space and quiet, and activity.
If you don't have a menstrual cycle because of pregnancy, breastfeeding, contraception, menopause, or other reasons, you can follow the phases of the moon cycle in the same way.
Menstrual Cycle Awareness has been a life-changing mindfulness practice, one that I feel all women and menstruators deserve to know about and experience. It's hard to remember how I lived life before knowing this practice.
Are you interested in learning more about menstrual cycle awareness?
I would be delighted for you to join me on November 26, 2022 for a 3-Hour Menstrual Cycle Awareness + Womb Yoga Workshop, where we will explore the physical, emotional and energetic shifts that occur throughout our cycle and learn practical ways to live in harmony with our inner rhythm. The workshop will consist of insightful discussions, group sharing, and a feminine flow practice including breathwork, mantra, asana, mudra, and relaxation/yoga nidra to ground into your body and establish a heart-womb connection and flow of energy.
Smiling to your cyclical nature,
Sarah
